The Regulatory Mix, TMI’s daily blog of regulatory activities, is a snapshot of PUC, FCC, legislative, and occasionally court, issues that our regulatory monitoring team uncovers each day. Depending on their significance, some items may be the subject of a TMI Regulatory Bulletin.
TELECOM
Texas
Both AT&T and Verizon have filed petitions with the Texas Public Utility Commission seeking to deregulate certain telephone exchanges with populations of less than 100,000.
AT&T is seeking to deregulate the following 109 exchanges: Adamsville, Allison, Alvarado, Alvin, Angleton, Anna, Aubrey, Bayside, Bellevue, Benavides, Bowie, Brenham, Calvert, Campbellton, Carrizo Springs, Castroville, Catarina, Childress, Chillicothe, Cotulla, Crystal City, Dayton, Deweyville, Eastland, EdCouch, El Campo, Elgin, Encinal, Evadale, Falcon Heights, Fannett, Farmersville, Forney, Freer, Gainsville, Garwood, Goldsmith, Graham, Hale Center, Hamlin, Henrietta, Hermleigh, Hillsboro, Huntsville, Itasca, Jefferson, Karnes City, Kenedy, La Belle, La Coste, Lampasas Lindale-Swan (aka Lindale), Los Fresnos, Lytle, Marion, Marlin, Marshall, Matagorda, Mauriceville, Meridian, Midlothian, Mineloa, Mt. Pleasant, Nacogdoches, Nordheim, Oglesby, Omaha, Owentown, Pearsall, Pinehurst, Pipe Creek, Pittsburg, Pleasanton, Port Bolivar, Pottsboro, Princeton, Prosper, Quanah, Reagan, Refugio, Rio Hondo, Roscoe, Royse City, Runge, Sabinal, Sabine Pass, Sealy, Seminole, Sinton, Skidmore, Slaton, Splendora, Stanton, Strawn, Sullivan City, Terrell, Troy, Vernon, Waller, Weatherford, Westbrook, Westbury, Wharton, Wildwood, Wills Point, Wink, Woodsboro, Wortham, and Zapata.
Verizon is seeking to deregulate the following 13 exchanges: Burnet, Cash, Emory, Goldthwaite, Lake Brownwood, Leonard, Odem, Quinlan, Somerset, Sonora, Tom Bean, Trenton, and Whitewright.
Under Texas law, the PUC may not determine that a market should remain regulated if the population in the area included in the market is less than 100,000 and, in addition to the ILEC, there are at least two competitors operating in all or part of the market that are unaffiliated with the ILEC and provide voice communications service without regard to the delivery technology. The PUC must issue a final decision on the AT&T petition by November 3, 2013, and on the Verizon petition by November 4, 2013.
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